Poultry-feeder.



F. E. BOWERS.

POULTRY FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1913.

1,1 18,629, Patented NOV. 24, 1914.

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POULTRY-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 24,1914;

Application filed November 21, 1913. Serial No. 802,308.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. Bownns, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, haveinvented a certain new and useful Poultry-Feeder; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which likeletters refer to like parts.

This invention relates to an automatic poultry feeder in which thedischarge of the food stuff is controlled by a pendulum-like rod on thelower end of which food stuff is located at which the poultry can peckand thereby actuate the same for operating the device.

Such devices have heretofore been made, but the object of this inventionis to control or regulate the feeding of the device whereby it may beadjusted for increasing or diminishing the feed or for adapting it todifferent kinds of feed.

A feature of the invention consists in pro viding a fixed tube andreceptacle for the feed with the lower end of the tube open andprojecting through but slightly beyond the outlet opening of the feedreceptacle, said opening surrounding said tube, and a feed plate on thependulum rod which lies immediately below the said tube so that saidtube and feed plate will cooperate in effecting the feeding. Along withthe foregoing is the adjustable mounting of the pendulum rod so as toincrease or diminish the feed.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims. i

In the drawings, Figure l is a central vertical section through thedevice in normal condition. Fig. 2 is the same in operative condition.Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale.Fig- 4 is a section on the line 4- of Fig. 2.

In the drawings herein there is illustrated a feed containing receptacle10 which has a bail 11 whereby it is suspended in a chicken house oryard. It has a conical lower end with a central lower outlet at 12. Abar 13 extends transversely from side to side within the receptacletoward the upper end thereof and it carries a tube 14 extending downthrough a brace 15 and centrally through the outlet 12 and it isarranged so that there will be an annular discharge opening. 12 aroundsaid tube through which the corn 16 may escape. A cylindrical extension17 pro ects downward from the conical end and surrounds the outletopening.

The passage of feed through the outlet 12 1S controlled by a disk 20supported on a rod 21 which is pivoted at its upper end to a verticallyadjustable screw 22 within the tube 14:. Therefore, the lower end of thetube limits the oscillation of the rod and the plate 20 is held slightlybelow the tube 14 and the outlet 12 so as to close the outlet when therod 21 is straight or vertical. Said rod has a conical deflecting plate25 secured to it some distance below the vessel 10 and at its lower endthere is a weight or ball 26 which may, if desired, carry grain. Theball may be made of rubber of such consistency that the grains willpartially appear 111 the surface thereof. The device is mounted so thatthe pendulum ball 26 will hang close enough to the ground for thepoultry to pick at the grains on the pendulum ball and thereby give it aswinging movement, as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby cause the dischargeof some grain or feed. Therefore, the device is operated only when thechickens are hungr and no excess of feed is supplied by the evice.

ltis observed that the feed plate 20 is close enough to the lower end ofthe fixed tube 1% that when the pendulum is swung, the lateral movementof the plate 20 will cause the fixed tube 14: to push the grain off ofthe feed plate, as seen in Fig. 2. Hence, the fixed tube 1% cooperateswith said plate 22 in the operation of the device. By adjusting the feedplate 20 lower, it will discharge correspondingly morc feed at eachoscillation. llence, this device can be used with bran or like feed aswell as with grain, as the tube 1-1 will push the bran oil' the plate20. To accom )lish this, the tubelel: must extend slightly below thelower end of the conical portion of the receptacle 10- The invention is:

1. A poultry feeding device including a feed receptacle with a circularoutlet or opening in its lower end, a tube rigidly mounted within saidreceptacle and extending down centrally through and beyond said outletopening, a pendulum rod suspended within said tube and extendingcentrally below the same, and a horizontal feed plate secured to saidpendulum rod in proximity to said feed outlet and to the lower end ofsaid fixed tube, whereby said feed plate and fixed tube will cooperatein controlling the discharge of the feed.

2. A poultry feeding device including a feed receptacle with a circularoutlet or opening in its lower end, a tube rigidly mounted within saidreceptacle and extending down centrally through and beyond said outletopening, a pendulum rod located centrally in said tube and extendingbelow the same, a screw bolt for suspending said rod arranged so as tobe vertically adjusted, and

a horizontal feed plate secured to said pendulum rod in proximity tosaid feed outlet and to the lower end of said fixed tube, whereby saidfeed plate and fixed tube will cooperate in controlling the discharge ofthe fee In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of the witnesses herein named.

FRANK E. BOWVERS.

lVitnesses:

J. H. Virus, 0. M. MGLAUGHLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

